Philip | CBT & DBT

Introduction

Kia Ora

I have been a Registered Comprehensive Nurse for the last 29 years and currently am a Clinical Nurse Specialist within a DBT team. I have trained as a Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (CBT) and am providing a therapy service for Te Awamutu and surrounding areas such as Otorohanga, Cambridge, Te Kuiti and everywhere in-between. 

I am passionate about Mental Health and always have been. I am very client focused and love working with people and I have a particular interest in complex circumstances.  

CBT is generally considered to be a short term therapy that has a strong evidence base for a variety of MH concerns such as depression; anxiety issues such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic, Social anxiety and Health anxiety; Phobias; Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD); Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); Substance Use; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD); Insomnia; Anger Management; Complex Interpersonal Difficulties and more.  

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a more specialised form of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. My training in DBT was focused specifically on people with Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD, which is a terrible title for what is basically an emotion regulation problem. Having said that, I believe that DBT, and particularly the psychological skills taught within DBT, can be applicable to everyone, regardless of age or circumstances. As such, I often include relevant DBT psychological skills in the CBT work I undertake depending on clients needs.  

The DBT skills fall into 4 groups:

Mindfulness - non-judgemental awareness, in the current moment, of what is occurring within and external to you. Essential skills to have in order to be able to make informed choices of actions to undertake.

Distress tolerance - short and long term skills to manage distress that occurs for us all at times. 

Emotion regulation - understanding emotions, the purpose they serve, and how to regulate them when needed. 

Interpersonal effectiveness - how to interact with others, asking for what you need, being able to say No effectively when required, how to make and keep friends and managing relationships effectively while maintaining your own self-esteem.  

DBT can be a longer term therapy process given the difficulties that often are present in regards to BPD.  

If you are interested in assistance with any of the above, please contact me via the Send a message - button. I'd love to hear from you.